Phase 1 of the proposed research is designed to assess the effects of selected coaching behaviors on the attitudes and behaviors of children involved in supervised athletic programs. Baseball, basketball, and swimming coaches will be observed during practices and games by trained observers who will categorize their behaviors in terms of a schema derived largely from social learning theory. The relationships between coaching behaviors and such player variables as attraction toward the coach, intrateam attraction, attitutdes toward the sport in question, enjoyment of participation, and continuation in the sports program will be assessed. Partly on the basis of the relationships discovered in the Phase 1 research, a program designed to help coaches relate more effectively to children will be designed. This program will involve didactic instruction via manuals prepared for this purpose as well as modeling and role playing procedures. Phase 2 of the proposed research will involve the implementation and assessment of the effects of this program. A primary goal of this research is the development of instructional materials to assist amateur coaches in relating more effectively to children. Selected personality tests will be administered to children at various stages of the project. This will permit an analysis of the ways in which specific patterns of coaching behaviors affect children as a function of the child's personality. It will also make possible an assessment of how athletic participation affects personality development. The latter issue will be investigated by comparing athletic participants with a group of non-participants who are also given the personality measures at intervals over the three year period.